A Lofty View

Fewer than 24 hours after arriving in Atlanta for our annual Thanksgiving visit with my sister Diane and her husband Ed, my trusty 1975 Elna, stored at their house, was set up and humming away. The project: refashioning a pair of tab curtains into a valance and panels for the loft in their home.

I made the original curtains for our other sister Reigh’s dining room when she and her husband George moved to Idaho in 2008. When they built their retirement home this year, there was no place for the curtains. Diane was only too happy to take them, knowing I could transform them into something when I came to visit in November.

At her last foray to Scott’s Antique Mall in Atlanta, Diane found a beautiful Italian walnut bench from the early 1920s with a cane seat and buttery yellow silk seat cushion. She realized that the curtain fabric would go perfectly with the seat cushion. By the time I arrived, she had a plan.

Here is the loft before:

Before: Loft with Valance

(The bench is deliberately set off center, because it looks better when viewed from below.)

Here is the loft after:

After: Loft with Valance and Panels

Here is the loft viewed from another angle:

And here is a close-up of the fabric (too gorgeous not to be used again!):

First all I have to comment that the bench your sister found is beautiful & perfect for the spot under the window. The difference between the before & after shot is worlds apart. Truthfully, I did not think the original valance added much to the area. The re-purposed curtains you tailored certainly do justice to the space & the furnishings. Now that the window is framed it looks much more expansive & your eye is drawn to the view. The texture of the fabric pattern & the light from the window create shadow & interest where there was little movement. The fabric is beautiful and I think it enhances the dark wood of the bench and the yellow in the fabric relates to the yellow tone found in the bench cushion. Bringing the color through draws your eye through the area rather than just focusing on the dark bench because it was the only spot of contrast to the neutral walls & valance. The simple style is perfect and the pattern of the fabric lends richness & texture without being too fussy. As you can tell I am in love with the entire transformation. It looks like a seating area you might find in an authentic Italian manor. Your sister must be thrilled with how this area looks now. Your sister has a lovely new home and it was nice of you to help her make it more personalized. The best part is that you were able to make a hugh impact for no cost – you can’t beat that.